


What We Didn't See

by winelover394



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:48:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23642620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winelover394/pseuds/winelover394
Summary: Not all Slytherins are like Draco Malfoy and his cronies. Some in fact, are the exact opposite!





	What We Didn't See

**Author's Note:**

> A/N ~ so I know that in the OG Harry Potter books, your only options were an Owl, a Cat, or a Toad but I thought that dogs and snakes would interesting options to explore as well so enjoy!

Dani Woods sat cross-legged on her queen sized bed, calmly debating what to wear for her birthday celebration later this afternoon. Her parents had wanted to throw some outrageously classy tea-party of some sort but Dani had asked if she and her friends could simply watch some of her favorite movies in the home theater that had been installed last year. Her parents had quickly agreed and had instantly begun going over a potential menu with their private chef. Dani had sighed, not wanting to interrupt, but she didn’t really think that her parents needed to plan such a huge menu for a simple party! However, Chef Ingrid made the best birthday cakes and so Dani kept quiet. Plus, all of her friends were from private school and although Dani’s parents made it quite clear that bragging about personal finances was very uncouth, she had a keen eye for detail and could easily see that her friends were growing up in fancy penthouses or similarly sized mansions around the London area. So even if Dani didn’t really desire a grand menu from her family’s private chef, at least her friends would be used to this type of culinary excellence.

Climbing out of bed with the fluidity and elegance of a well-mannered cat, Dani padded across the thick white carpet and threw open the doors to her expansive walk in closet. Hmmm… what to wear….what to wear? She gently thumbed through her many expensive day dresses, completely ignored the formal evening gowns, and landed over on a stack of jeans. Of course they were beautifully made designer jeans but still… they seemed more comfortable for a day of watching movies than some frilly dress. Pulling on a simple green blouse, Dani positively skipped over to the black hawthorn double vanity and began pulling her thick champagne blonde hair into a high ponytail that cascaded down her back. Just as she was about to swipe on a shade of shimmery pink lip gloss, there was a light tapping at her window.

Lip gloss suddenly forgotten, Dani made her way over to the large bay window where she often spent quite a bit of time reading or journaling and her eyes widened to the size of golf balls. Trying not to scream, least a maid came running, Dani cautiously approached the large tawny owl that was hovering just above the windowsill pot that was filled with an array of sunset hued tulips. Her fingers tentatively reached out to pull the swinging window open and as soon as there was a wide enough gap the owl flew in and landed on her desk. In its beak was a large letter with Dani’s name written on it in striking green ink.

“Erm… thanks, I suppose,” Dani whispered questioningly. As soon as she had murmured her thanks, the owl gave a light hoot and took off into the sweet July air.  
Taking the letter in her small hands, Dani turned it over and saw that the red wax seal was some sort of school emblem. She puzzled over it, never having had heard of this mysterious “Hogwarts” before. A part of her wondered if this was some elaborate gift thought about by her parents but deep down the logical part of her realized that this simply was not true. For one thing, her parents loved the current school that she was at and for another, if a better option had come up, Dani was sure that her parents would sit her down at dinner and enthusiastically explain why this new school would be better for her education. No, this strange letter could not be from her parents because cryptic notes and fancy wax seals from unknown schools were not their style at all.

Just as Dani was about to open her letter, there came a knock at the white wooden doors to her bedroom and a maid’s voice floated through the air.

“Time for the birthday girl to come down to breakfast!”

Slipping the letter under her pillow for safekeeping, Dani strode down the corridor and down the grand marble staircase to join her parents at the table for breakfast. Before her lay a spread of waffles, pancakes, and assorted pastries from Dani’s favourite bakery in downtown London. Putting the letter out of her mind, Dani made a snap decision to spend the day focusing her energy on turning eleven. After all, it wasn’t something that happened every day, now was it?

Later that night after her friends had gone home and Dani had finished having a birthday dinner with her family (thank God the 12th was on a Saturday this year, otherwise her parents would have been too busy with work and had a maid oversee the celebrations instead), she pulled the letter out from under her pillow. The thick parchment felt strangely exciting to her touch and the wax seal seemed to radiate importance. So as not to accidentally damage the contents within, she slid her brand new letter opener (a fitting gift from her best friend Esme, who knew how much Dani loved receiving old-school handwritten letters) underneath the wax seal and carefully broke it open. Almost trembling with excitement, she pulled out the first piece of parchment and began to read.

Dear Ms. Woods,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find an enclosed list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1st. We await your owl no later than July 31st.  
Yours Sincerely,  
Minerva McGonagall  
Deputy Headmistress

Book List

All first year students will require the following books and equipment:

The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 by Miranda Goshawk  
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot  
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling  
A Beginner’s Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch  
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore  
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger  
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

3 sets of plain black robes  
1 pointed black hat for day wear  
1 pair of protective gloves (dragonhide or similar)  
1 winter cloak (black with silver fastenings)

1 wand  
1 Cauldron (pewter, standard size two)  
1 set of glass or crystal phials  
1 telescope  
1 set of brass scales  
Students may also bring an Owl, Cat, Dog, Toad, or Snake.  
REMINDER THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK!!!

Feeling quite thankful that she was sitting down, Dani repeated the words over and over again in her head. Magic? A witch? Her?!?! Shaking her head, Dani wanted to believe that it wasn’t possible and that her parents had simply outdone themselves for her birthday this year but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that it was highly unlikely. Tumbling down memory lane, Dani watched her six year old self on the night before Christmas. She’d been unable to sleep and so instead of laying in bed as she should have, Dani had crept into the lavishly decorated living room where the twelve foot pine tree commanded the attention of all that entered. However, Dani ignored it in favor of going straight for her stocking that just so happened to be hung in reach of her childish hands. It was a magnificent sight to behold, such a silky thing, its fine threads baring all the colors of a sparkling winter wonderland, and better yet, it was filled to the brim with presents! Unable to contain her excitement a moment longer, Dani began tearing into the stocking’s contents with joy, unaware of anything else. It was only after the last wrapper had been shredded that Dani suddenly realized that she might get in trouble for not waiting until morning to see what Father Christmas had brought her. Hastily stuffing the toys back into her bag, Dani silently trudged back upstairs and tried not to cry. However she needn’t have worried… for when she woke to the smell of home cooked waffles later that morning and came downstairs… the stocking was hanging beautifully, just as it had the night before. At the time, Dani assumed that one of the maids had fixed it in the wee hours of the morning but now… eleven year old Dani suddenly realized that they never had maids over Christmas; her father always sent them home to their families for two weeks, double the pay, and with a large turkey for Christmas dinner. So if no one had fixed the stocking by hand…?

Wandering still further down memory lane, Dani was suddenly eight years old and it was the first day of school. Last year she and Esme Johnson had become best friends and today Dani was excited to see her friend, especially since they had the same teacher for year 3. As soon as Dani had spotted Esme, she’d gone running across the playground, only to find that her best friend was crying. A few feet away, a few year 4 boys were pointing at Esme and laughing rudely, calling her a “rich bitch” because her daddy was the owner and founder of one of the most successful companies in the UK, and maybe even in all of Europe! Dani didn’t remember much of what happened next, only that she felt such an intense surge of protective rage flow through her and suddenly the boys’ pants had all but disappeared! Now everyone in the school yard was giggling at the year 4 boys who were standing in nothing but their shirts and baggy boxers, which Dani thought was way better than having everyone staring at Esme because she was crying.

And finally, the trip into her memories ended with a day that was only a few weeks ago. Dani somehow had managed to wake with what she thought was the world’s ugliest rash covering the left side of her face and trailing down her neck below her nightgown. Appalled, Dani had begged her parents not to send her to school that day but seeing as she didn’t have a fever, nor was she vomiting, her parents insisted that she was to go. Somehow, by the time Dani’s parents were dropping her off at the wrought iron gates in front of Greenwood Private Academy, the rash was completely gone.

“So… I really am a witch,” Dani breather before closing her eyes and falling fast asleep.

The next morning, Dani had made up her mind. She was going to tell her parents about the letter and that she absolutely wanted to go to Hogwarts! But how would she ever get her parents to believe that this was real and not just some game that she was inventing based off of one of her fantasy novels that she loved so dearly? Hmmm… an idea struck her as if it were a lightning bolt and Dani rushed to her window. Sometimes, in the first bits of the morning light or right when the sun was going down, a small barn owl could be seen flying between the trees of the private garden. Perhaps….

“I need an owl,” Dani said quietly, not wanting to have to explain to her parents what she was doing if they were to overhear her. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Maybe she just wasn’t concentrating hard enough?

“I need an owl,” Dani repeated in a fierce whisper as she closed her eyes, focusing all her energy on seeing the barn owl appear on the window sill. When she opened her eyes again, there stood the fluffy look bird and Dani could have whooped with joy! She didn’t know any proper spells, heck she didn’t even have a wand and yet she was able to bring the owl to her room! Imagine what she could do when -

“Right. The letter,” Dani reminded herself. There would be time to celebrate later, when she was actually sure that she would be attending Hogwarts this coming term. For now….

“Take this letter to Minerva McGonagall at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,” Dani instructed. The owl regarded her curiously before taking the envelope from her hand and heading out the window in a great flap of wings. Dani sighed in relief. If that owl hadn’t known what to do, she was sure that that would have been the end of her Hogwarts career.

A week later Dani was just sitting down to afternoon tea with her parents when there was a sharp knock at the front door. Looking up expectantly, Dani had to remind herself not to go running to the door; they had maids for that and it would be rude if Dani were to start doing their jobs for them. So she simply waited, wondering if this was the moment she’d been waiting for.

“Mr & Mrs. Woods, there is a woman here to see you and Dani. She claims to be a teacher from some school,” Greta announced as she entered the dining hall.

“Bring her to the study, we shall meet her there,” Mr. Woods replied, keeping his voice even.

Less than a few minutes later everyone had made themselves comfortable in the study and at the request of Mrs. Woods, a large platter of sandwiches and tea time cookies had been brought up.

“I’m sorry but it will be a few minutes before another pot of tea is ready,” Mrs. Woods apologized anxiously.

“Oh that is absolutely fine, I’m sure I’ll be here long enough for a second pot to be made,” Minerva replied.

“So what brings you our home,” Mr. Woods asked curiously.

And so Minevra McGonagall began to patiently explain about who she was, Hogwarts, the types of classes Dani would be taking, and any other questions that the Woods family could think to ask. In the end, it was decided that Dani would be attending Hogwarts that term!

“Oh thank you thank you thank you,” Dani hugged her parents excitedly after Professor McGonagall had taken her leave.

“Why of course pumpkin! We only want the best for your education and you clearly have the talents of a wonderful young witch! It would be awful to waste them,” her father replied with a grin.

“Now your father and I have weekend plans for the rest of July and then we’re too busy all of August so we’ll have to go and get your school books tomorrow,” Mrs. Woods said before reminding her daughter that it was almost time for bed.

As Dani stood in her oversized bathroom brushing her teeth, she allowed her mind to wander freely. What would Diagon Alley be like? Sure Professor McGonagall had given her parents directions to the Leaky Cauldron but in all her excitement, Dani had forgotten to ask what the alley would be like. She’d spent most of her time asking what classes would be like and if being Muggle-born would cause her to be loads behind her classmates on magic. The deputy headmistress had assured her that this would not be the case but still Dani vowed to start reading her textbooks as soon as she got them. For now though… she let her mind fill itself with enchanting visions of magical castles, wands performing dazzling spells, and cauldrons simmering with strange potions. Dani slipped into bed, her mind already miles away from the family estate in London.

“Dani! Dani honey it’s time to wake up!”

Upon hearing her mother’s voice, Dani lept straight out of bed and rushed over to her closet, not bothering to shower. She’d done so the night before and had worn tight braids to bed so that when she took them out in the morning, her hair rolled down her back in gentle golden waves. Now her biggest concern was finding an outfit that was appropriate for Diagon Alley. Normally Dani could care less about what she wore school shopping but this was different! She was going to a magical part of London to buy magical school supplies for her first year at a magical school! The very thought of all the magic was enough to make Dani bounce from foot to foot as she decided to pick an outfit. Finally she decided on one of her favourite summer dresses, a spaghetti strap white number with bright red roses stitched all over it. At the last minute, Dani decided to don the necklace she had received for her birthday which was a simple silver chain with a single ruby pendant. Feeling as ready as she could be, Dani slipped into her black sandals and went out to join her parents in the car. Although the Woods usually had a personal driver, Mr. Woods had decided that taking his personal car was best; no need for any of the help to know why they were stopping in a part of town that was kilometers away from the fanciest shops and restaurants.

“Alright Dani, we’re here! Professor McGonagall told us that only you would be able to see the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron….” Mrs. Wood’s voice trailed off as she waited for her daughter to answer.

“I… hm…wait! There! I see it,” Dani exclaimed excitedly as a dingy sign suddenly bore the words “The Leaky Cauldron.” Her father pulled the car over, fed the meter a generous amount of coins, and joined his wife and daughter outside the entrance to what appeared to be an unnamed, dimly lit pub.

“After you,” Mr. Woods said as he made a sweeping gesture with his arms.

“O-okay,” Dani replied, her palms starting to sweat just the tiniest bit.

As soon as the family entered the pub, the patrons around them went awfully quiet and as Dani’s eyes adjusted to the light, she could see why. She and her parents were the only ones not wearing wizarding robes.

“Excuse me dears, do you need some help getting into Diagon Alley?” Dani and her parents turned to be faced with a kindly woman with wonderful red hair. She had five children behind her who were all staring at Dani with varying amounts of curiosity.

“Yes! Yes that would be wonderful! Thank you,” Mrs. Woods smiled gratefully.

“Right this way then! I’m Molly Weasley and these are my sons, Percy, Fred and George, Ron, and Ginny,” Mrs. Weasley said as she pointed to each of her children in turn. Percy, with curly hair the same shade of vibrant ginger as his mother’s, seemed to be the oldest and he also had a large shiny “P” pinned to the front of his robes. Next, Fred and George were identical twins who wore similar expressions of mischief that made Dani wonder just how much trouble they could cause in one week. Then there was Ron, who was almost as tall as Percy and had quite a lot of freckles splashed across his cheeks and nose. And finally there was Ginny who was currently holding her mother’s hand and seemed to be around nine or ten as her hair was in innocent little pig tails.

Dani was distracted from studying the Weasleys as Molly led them out into a sunny brick area behind the Leaky Cauldron. Exchanging confused looks with her parents, Dani turned her attention back to Mrs. Weasley just in time to see her pull out her wand and tap the pricks in front of her in some sort of secret order. As soon as the lap tap had finished, the bricks began to wiggle and rearrange themselves into a thick archway and on the other side….  
Dani could hardly believe her eyes! Crooked shops towered above the crowds of bustling witches and wizards that clogged the cobblestone street. At the end, towering above even the tallest shops was a tipsy looking marble building with massive gold letters on the side spelling out Gringotts.

“Oh yeah, that’s your first stop! Wizarding bank and -” Fred began (at least Dani thought it was Fred, though she wasn’t one hundred percent sure).

“You’ll need to exchange your Muggle money! Beware the goblins though,” the other twin finished with a smirk. Dani got the sense that these two finished each other’s sentences most of the time.

“Don’t worry about Fred and George, they just like to tease. The goblins don’t hurt anyone. I’m Ron by the way, I’ll be a first year too,” the second youngest Wealsey smiled reassuringly.

“Yes your mom did mention your name,” Dani giggled, which made Ron smile even more. Wow, she might be on the way to making her first friend at Hogwarts!

“So what’s it like being in a wizarding family,” Dani asked as she and Ron followed their families down the street towards the wizarding bank. Ron began telling her all about it and Dani was so caught up in listening to him talk about this wonderful new world that she gave a little jump when her mom pulled her away to join her father at a teller’s counter.

“Bye Ron! I hope I see you on the Hogwarts Express,” Dani called out as Ron followed his own family over to another goblin teller.  
Focusing her attention back on her family, Dani watched in fascination as the goblin, Griphook, exchanged her father’s 50 pound notes for galleons, sickles, and knuts. According to Griphook, the currency went something like this: 1 galleon = 17 sickles, 1 sickle = 29 knuts, and thus it would take 493 knuts to make one galleon. Dani’s head swam with all the numbers and she was rather glad to be back out in the sun-filled streets of Diagon Alley.

“Now honey, let's see your list again,” Mrs. Woods instructed and Dani readily pulled out the thick piece of parchment.

“Hmm yes….. Edgar dear… why don’t we go pick out some quills and parchment while Dani gets her wand? Then we can meet at Flourish and Blotts in about an hour or so,” Mrs. Woods suggested.

“Mmm yes my love, that sounds like a good idea to me! Here Dani, here’s a little pouch with some galleons with in it, it should be enough for a wand,” Mr. Woods said as he pulled a black silk pouch out of his coat pocket.

“Thanks daddy!” Dani gave her father a quick hug before disappearing into the throng that surrounded Ollivander’s.  
Upon opening the door to the small shop, Dani found that it was mainly filled with other eleven year old kids, some clutching their money nervously while others looked as though they had been around magic their entire lives. Hurrying to get a spot in line, Dani ended up behind an extremely pale boy with slicked back ash blonde hair.

“And you are,” the boy asked with a slight sneer as he caught sight of Dani behind him.

“Woods. Dani Woods,” she replied coolly as she glanced at the boy before her. His robes were made of extremely fine material and his shoes didn’t have a spot of dust on them; clearly this boy was from a wealthy family.

“I’m Malfoy. Draco Malfoy,” he replied.

“Pleasure to meet you, Draco Malfoy,” Dani smiled as she extended her hand.

“Are your parents wizards,” Draco asked as he shook her hand.

“No….” Dani’s voice trailed off as Draco suddenly dropped her hand.

“That’s unfortunate.” Draco’s voice suddenly took on a tone of disgust and his sneer was back at full strength.

“I’d disagree if it means that I was raised with manners like yours,” Dani replied with a wicked smirk of her own.

Looking shocked that someone had dared to speak to him in such a manner, Draco was about to angrily reply when Mr. Ollivander called him up to get his wand. While Dani was waiting for her turn, she thought about Draco’s reaction to her admitting that her parents were Muggles. What was so awful about that…? Clearly the staff at Hogwarts believed that she was magical enough to attend the school so shouldn’t that be good enough for the rest of the wizarding world?

Dani was shaken from her thoughts by Mr. Ollivander calling her up to the counter where boxes of discarded wands laid piled high. He regarded her rather curiously for a moment before disappearing down one of my many isles and returning momentarily with a few dusty boxes of wands.

“Try this one. Twelve inches, cherry and unicorn hair, nice and sturdy.”  
Dani took the wand uncertainly and at Mr. Ollivander’s instruction, gave it a wave. Immediately the glass vase on the windowsill exploded into a million pieces and the roses that had been residing in it flopped to the floor.

“Oh no! I’m so sorry!” Dani felt her cheeks begin to redden.

“No matter! Try this one! Eleven and a half inches, oak and phoenix feather!” Mr. Ollivander seemed rather unperturbed at the fact that Dani had just destroyed an item in his shop only moments ago.

Not sure of what to expect, Dani took the wand and instantly felt a warmth blossom in her fingertips and spread throughout her entire body. She gave the wand a little flick and a shower of green sparks flew out of the tip.

“Finding a wand so quickly…. How curious,” Mr. Ollivander murmured as she strode away to help the next customer.

Recognizing that she had been dismissed, Dani stumbled out of the poorly lit shop and into the bright daylight with her new wand safely tucked away in her box. Glancing at the various signs and shops around her, Dani spotted Flourish and Blotts just up the street and went to join her parents to buy her textbooks.

After many hours had been spent shopping, Dani sat with her parents at a table tucked away in the back corner of the Leaky Cauldron. The three Woods were enjoying a simple vegetable soup and a delicious drink called butterbeer when Mrs. Woods spoke up.

“Now Dani… the list did say that you could take a pet… given any thought to what you’d like?”

“Oh well…. I didn’t even think about that to be perfectly honest,” Dani admitted.

“An owl would be very practical, being as that’s how your world carries mail. It would be a nice way to keep in touch with friends, like that lovely Ron boy you met today,” Mr. Woods reasoned.

“I…. well….that is true,” Dani agreed, though now that she was giving the matter some thought, she didn’t really want an owl or a toad or whatever the other two options were.

“Of course it doesn’t have to be an owl,” Mr. Woods said quickly as he noticed his daughter’s thoughtful look.

“Oh daddy… I wouldn’t be upset with an owl but if it’s okay, I would really love to take a puppy with me! A golden retriever puppy to be exact,” Dani exclaimed, her eyes full of love as she imagined a little fluff ball following her around the halls of Hogwarts. Oh how wonderful it would be!

“Well it did say that dogs are allowed… but how would you house train a puppy while you are in school, going to Charms class or Potions or what not,” Mrs. Woods wondered.

“I’m sure that there would be a way… it is a magical school after all,” Mr. Woods replied thoughtfully.

“That’s true I suppose… okay Dani! Tomorrow we’ll go pick out a golden retriever puppy for you,” Mrs. Woods exclaimed! Dani smiled and took a sip of her butterbeer. This was the best day ever and she couldn’t wait for what was to come!


End file.
